Customizing Microsoft HTML Help in FrameMaker 12?

[MassWriter]

My company is currently using FrameMaker 11 with WebWorks ePublisher 2013.2 to generate context-sensitive Microsoft HTML Help (CHM). ePublisher makes it very easy to customize the global appearance of each page. For example, we have a product banner in the header, and company logo, copyright notice and contact info in the footer. We also have external resource files that contain context-sensitive help IDs (in combination with Topic Alias markers in the FM source files).

We are evaluating the FrameMaker 12 trial to see if it can replace FM11+ePublisher.

Although we are able to generate a CHM successfully in FM12, the customization options appear to be very limited, and it is not clear how to generate context-sensitive help.

Is it possible to customize the Microsoft HTML Help template/layout/theme? FM12 provides many options for the Responsive HTML5 format, but not Microsoft HTML Help. I don't mind modifying template files outside of FM12, if necessary, but I need someone to point me in the right direction.

Can FM12 publish context-sensitive Microsoft HTML Help? If so, where do I place the external files that contain the help IDs?

Any help is greatly appreciated. We need to make a decision real soon about whether to stick with FM11+ePublisher or upgrade to FM12.

Thanks!

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Customization from within FM12 – highly unlikely

Customization via RH – more likely; skins have been around forever (much like CHM output)

CSH with CHMs – yes, but probably has to be done via RH

[MassWriter]

Thanks, Jeff!

If RH is required for most of this, then it won't really streamline our current workflow. I was hoping FM12 could be used standalone.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

You may still be able to do it all in standalone FM12 – I haven’t had any time to play with publishing out of FM. Grab a trial copy and load on a machine that doesn’t have FM and play around with a copy of your FM11 content to see what’s possible. Frankly, CHMs are really old news, so expecting much of them is probably limited.

[Robert_^_W]

The company I work for is similar, so i'm also interested in the outcome of this discussion.

Unfortunately, CHM is still widely used in embedded help in software, so for the time being we are stuck with it.

[HelenSK]

Did anyone test this further? We use FM 8 with Webworks to produce printed and PDF User Guides, PDF Reference Guides and chm help files; would be interested in FM 12 if it will speed up work flow. But we also provide context-sensitive help within our chms.

[Robert_^_W]

It looks like the help for 12 solves it.

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/framemaker/using/WS2d2a17056e219198469567ac144fce5ac89-8000.html#WS2d2a1...

Apply a context-sensitive Help marker

1. Click to place the mouse cursor at the start of a paragraph text to insert the context-sensitive Help marker.
2. Select Special > Publish Options > Apply CSH Marker.
3. Enter the map ID and click OK.

When you create a CSH marker in a document, FrameMaker creates a TopicAlias marker with the marker text as the map ID that you specify.

[Robert_^_W]

I have been able to create CHM files, that mirror the functionality of the help files created with WebWorks. The recent FM12 patch corrected the CSH marker issues. The only differences now between the native FM12 produced CHM and the WebWorks CHM are purely cosmetic.

[kathleen_bylsma]

Yes, even though you can add CSH (Topic Alias) markers. FM12 does not produce the .h file that the engineers need. So what good is it? RH does not use them.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

According to the FM12 help file - http://help.adobe.com/en_US/FrameMaker/12.0/Help/Using/index.html#WS2d2a17056e219198469567ac144fce5ac89-7ffc */=&t=using-framemaker-12%2Ffrm_text_tx%2Ffrm_text_tx-5.htm&rhsearch=csh&rhhlterm=csh&rhsyns=%20 – it appears that you have to build it yourself (wow!) One more reason why it pays to go via the TCS route.

[kathleen_bylsma]

Well, I tried that using the old .h file and adding a few new topics. The

engineer said it didn't work. I think I will have to upgrade to TCS.

When I used the trial version of TCS it worked. We already had RH 11, and

there were a couple other programs we didn't need. So I thought all we

really needed was FM12.

On Wed, May 20, 2015 at 2:02 PM, Jeff_Coatsworth <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

TCS provides the “special sauce” that allows linking of FM content to a RH project – linking does have its limits though, so I actually use the straight import method each time and save off the customized bits I’ve created in RH for reuse (.isf file, a customized .lng file, .css file)

[amitjha-lt]

Hi

Thanks for reporting this issue. It is possible in FM. Please see the link  Context-sensitive Help marker

Please let me know if it is not working for you.

Thanks

Amit Jha

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Yeah, that’s the same link I noted in post #9 Amit – the real issue is (a) you can’t tell FM what kind of marker is being used as CSH (like you can using TCS) & (b) the non-creation of the BSSCDefault.h file (or any other .h name for that matter)

[Robert_^_W]

I've noticed that since installing the trial of Framemaker 2015, I cannot find the right location to drop my existing csh marker file (using the location mentioned in the help does not work). I recall with FM12 it required an update before it would notice them. I've copied them into all the folders using the book name, and it ignores them and creates one based on the markers it finds in the documents. Because of this the help works, but the context points don't.

[riteshksriv]

Hi,

1. FM uses the "TopicAlias" marker to locate the CSH IDs in documents. In RH, you can configure the marker name.

2. To provide your own map file like BSSCDefault.h in RH, You need to create the .h file in the same folder where your .book/.ditamap file resides which you are trying to publish.

Its name should be the same as the book/ditamap. Only the extension should be .h

e.g. If you have a Manual.book file in Desktop folder then you should create the CSH map file in Desktop folder and name it as Manual.h

The content of the Manual.h file should look like this:

#define  <MText> <IntegerValue>

#define <MText2> <IntegerValue2>

.....

Here the <MText> should match the marker text that you provided in your FM document. 

Also the Integer value should be positive and less than 2^32 or 4294967296.

Please let us know if anything is not clear.

[Robert_^_W]

I've followed exactly that. The only difference is a comment in each line to say where the pointer is directed.

The file is even included in the .hhp build file.

It still ignores it and creates a 'custom' .h file, that doesn't even contain the same amount of entries as my original.

We were looking to replace the current yearly licensed solution with just standalone FrameMaker to publish to CHM, but this is still looking like an unlikely alternative.

Here is a line from the .h file just in case i'm missing something that is obvious.

#define HLP_UM_USR_Login 10000010 /* Getting started */

[riteshksriv]

Does the entry in .hhp build file say

[MAP]

#include <Bookname>_!Generated!.h

or

[MAP]

#include <Bookname>.h

Where is the .hhp file located in the file-system ?

[Robert_^_W]

The entry in the .hhp file is <bookname>.h

The hhp is generated on the fly when the help is created.

I have noticed however that there a file not installed correctly. From what i've read, it's part of the help compiler. (The file Itircl.dll has not been registered correctly.)

I even tried creating a 2 paragraph unstructured file. This also didn't work.

This is the common error through everything I've tried

An alias has been created to "This_is_a_heading.htm#CSH_1" but the file does not exist 

[Ritkumar]

Can you email me your sample unstructured file that you are using ?

It will help us identify the issue easily. My email id is ritkumar@adobe.com

Please also share the .sts settings file that you are using.